


Glitch

by CloudintheMoonlight



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Angst, M/M, One Shot, Reincarnation, Soulmates, Unrequited Love, yehyuk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:02:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloudintheMoonlight/pseuds/CloudintheMoonlight
Summary: They're sharing the same existence again but this time, the universe's done them dirty.
Relationships: Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk
Comments: 9
Kudos: 30





	Glitch

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this short one shot just wouldn't leave me alone, so I finally had to give up and write it.  
> I've been missing Yehyuk a lot lately and I guess that led to me projecting all my sad feelings onto this angsty little thing.

There are two types of people in the world: Those who can’t recall their previous lives, and those who are connected to their former existence by faint memories - the ones that can easily identify their soulmate in any lifetime.

The people in the latter category are rare, but they do exist.

Jongwoon is one of them.

He remembers.

He remembers every single lifetime he and Hyukjae have spent together before, from the prehistoric hillsides of the Alps to the trenches of World War I battlefield; from the rural farming community in ancient China to the deck of a merchant ship sailing the seven seas. And when Heechul jokes about how Jongwoon must’ve been married to Hyukjae in some previous life, he can’t quite force himself to laugh, because he knows he _actually has been_.

Having spent years and years looking for his one true soulmate in their previous shared lives, most of the time only succeeding in finding him (and on that one occasion when Hyukjae was born a woman, her) when they were already in their late twenties or thirties, he’d been overjoyed when in this lifetime, he’d joined a record label at barely seventeen and had unexpectedly met the very same brown eyes and the gummy smile he’d been longing for ever since he last bade them farewell in 1916 – when they both lay dying on the French soil, bloodied fingers intertwined in a tight clasp, watching the light slowly go out in each other’s eyes.

Jongwoon's knees had almost given out in relief as he'd immediately recognized his soulmate and realised that this time around, they might just be lucky enough to get the extra ten or more years together before their eventual passing – before they’d once again be separated from one another.

However.

Almost eighteen years have already gone by since that first meeting, and to this day, Jongwoon's still alone.

Due to a cruel practical joke the universe had decided to play on them, some unfortunate _cosmic glitch_ , they’d both reincarnated as men again... but as men with very different sexualities.

At first, Jongwoon had been oblivious to the fact – had just foolishly _assumed_.

He'd had no reason to doubt: The strong connection had seemed to be there anyway, and his soulmate had been more than happy to make friends with him almost right away.

But even after all this time, that's still the full extent of feelings Hyukjae's comfortable with, all that he's capable of offering his hyung: his friendship. Jongwoon’s every tentative attempt at deepening their relationship has been met with either anger, aversion or reluctance.

Only once has Jongwoon been allowed to really get his hopes up: that one wretched night when they’d gone out drinking together, just the two of them.

They'd been sitting side by side in a secluded area of the bar, bare arms brushing every once in a while and sending Jongwoon's pulse into a fierce gallop. At some point during their conversation, Hyukjae had suddenly leaned towards him, more than a little tipsy, and studied his face up close, breath fanning against his lips.

“Your eyes, Aesongie,” he had said, words slurring a bit, “sometimes when I look at you I feel like something about them keeps bothering me, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Even when we’d just met, I was almost sure I’d seen you before because I thought I recognized your eyes. Isn’t it funny?” And he’d clumsily patted Jongwoon’s cheek.

Jongwoon had fled to the toilets to calm himself down, because _he'd known_ he’d have to seize this opportunity and talk to Hyukjae about the whole soulmate thing again. He’d tried before, unsuccessfully, but maybe his dongsaeng would be more inclined to hear him out this time? And after gathering his courage for full fifteen minutes, he’d walked out of the men's room in an state of anticipatory joy, naively believing that finally, _finally_ Hyukjae’s soul would be able to reconnect with his.

However, all his hope had vanished and turned into sheer desperation as soon as his eyes had landed on Hyukjae – drunkenly and eagerly shoving his tongue down some willing female’s throat.

Jongwoon should’ve been used to blows like that by then, but the pain had still been excruciating.

He hadn't been able to eat or sleep properly for months.

***

He keeps on trying.

Trying to enjoy his life and not let himself succumb to the bouts of melancholy that sometimes threaten to consume him, but it’s hard.

Honestly, not just hard but downright _impossible_ when his other half, the one that completes his soul, rejects him.

And despite the hopelessness of his case, he still can’t help but always pay special attention to Hyukjae. To shower him with his affection, unwanted as it is.

Like today.

He looks on as Hyukjae wakes up slowly in the unmoving car, gets his bearings and notices the flower on his lap – right where Jongwoon had placed it, careful not to disturb his sleep.

A single white rose, a symbol of undying love.

And Jongwoon doesn’t know what he’d expected – maybe he’d hoped the younger one to be at least a little bit delighted – but Hyukjae’s furrowing brows and the way his mouth instantly tightens into an unhappy line, very much feel like icy cold claws suddenly clutching his heart.

“What’s this?” Hyukjae asks, and the hostility, the accusation in his tone almost renders Jongwoon unable to speak.

“A- a gift. A congratulatory gift.”

“For what?”

“For… for your new album.” He avoids Hyukjae’s gaze.

“I see. And did you get one for Donghae, too?”

Silence.

“No,” Jongwoon whispers, deflated.

“I thought as much.” A frustrated sigh. “Yesung, you need to stop this. We’ve discussed it so many times, why won’t you get it? I don’t want romantic gestures like this. Not from you. I don’t want _this_.”

And he pushes the flower brusquely off his lap, opens the door and leaves.

Jongwoon stays alone in the car, watching him walk away until he disappears behind a corner of a building. Eyes wet and hands balled into fists, he then looks at the rose on the floor where Hyukjae dropped it – trying hard to fight the sorrow that crashes over him like an enormous wave, heart shattering to million pieces.

It takes all of his strength to get through the rest of the day; to act unbothered in the face of Hyukjae's distainful glances and obvious attempts to really drive the point home by flirting with every person on set whenever he's near.

Every person but _him_.

If Jongwoon hadn’t already gotten the message earlier, he definitely would now. Loud and clear.

It's only after he gets home and closes the door behind himself, exhausted and hands shaking, that he allows his mask to slip. He slumps against the wall, surrenders his soul to the grief, and lets his tears fall free.

This lifetime, he’s doomed to love hopelessly.

To worship from afar, to maybe even witness the one his heart belongs to fall in love with somebody else.

He doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to bear it.

He curls into a ball on the floor, sobbing and chest aching, and hopes and prays to any higher power that cares to listen that in their next lifetime, Hyukjae will once again recognize and accept him as his true soulmate.

That Hyukjae will one day love him again.

***

Jongwoon’s going to wait for him.

Always.

No matter how many centuries it may take.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me some feedback if you feel like it. It's always very much appreciated <3


End file.
